Flightless Bird, American Mouth
by Cae Thomas aka CNL
Summary: Saying goodbye is never easy. Saying goodbye to the one you love, well, that's nearly impossible. Harry and Draco learn to say goodbye. The plot bunny for this story was born while listening to "Flightless Bird, American Mouth" by Iron and Wine. Credit
1. Chapter 1

The last day of term was slowly drawing to a close. Rain still pattered against the windows, reflecting Harry Potter's mood perfectly as he descended the stairs to the common room where his housemates were celebrating the end of the year rather loudly. He ignored them as he crossed the party to reach the portrait hole. Let them celebrate, but he wasn't going to join in. Nothing about this night was joyous to him.

Tonight was not a night for celebration. It was a night for farewells. And there was one in particular he was dreading. Tonight he would say goodbye to the one he loved. Tonight, his year of fairytale bliss would end.

* * *

Harry reached the room of requirement, opening the door with a sigh. The room waiting for him beyond took his breath away. A bed rested against the far wall, its curtains open and welcoming. A fire burned in the fireplace hearth, heating the room and adding a romantic feel. The only light came from candles lit all along the room.

"Candles, Draco?" Harry asked, closing the door behind him. The blonde stepped from the corner, smiling charmingly.

"I thought it'd help make tonight special," Draco answered, coming to stand before the brunette. Harry smiled back. "Speaking of which…" Draco flicked is wand and music started up softly. He set his wand aside, holding out his hand and bowing slightly. "May I have this dance?" Harry nodded, taking Draco's hand.

The blonde pulled him closer, resting a hand on Harry's waist. Harry wrapped an arm around Draco's shoulders, looking him in the eye as they started to move slowly to the music. "I've been thinking about this all day," Draco whispered.

"I don't want this night to end," Harry replied, resting his head on the blonde's shoulder. Draco stopped their movement, and Harry lifted his head. Their lips met, slowly, softly; Harry wrapped his arms around Draco's neck, running his fingers through the soft white-blonde hair. They backed towards the bed, falling onto it.

Rain hit the windows, sounding faintly like a clock ticking away the moments of their stolen time. There were only hours left now…

* * *

Draco reached a hand up, stroking the hair back from Harry's eyes. He smiled down at him, pressing a kiss to the boy's forehead.

"I don't want to go home," Harry whispered, looking up at Draco sadly.

"I thought you were going to move into your godfather's house, get out on your own," Draco replied, not understanding why Harry wouldn't want the freedom his future offered.

"I am, I just….I don't want to leave because I'm afraid we'll never see each other again." He lifted a hand to stroke Draco's cheek, setting his palm against the smooth skin.

"Harry, the great thing about love is that if it's meant to be, it'll find a way."

"And what if it doesn't?" Draco looked down at him, smiling sadly.

"Then at least we'll have this night to remember." With that he took Harry's hand from his cheek, pressing his lips to the boy's palm, his wrist. Harry pulled him down to meet his lips, wishing it could only last a little longer. He wasn't ready to say goodbye yet.

* * *

Draco smiled, watching Harry sleeping peacefully beside him. He was really going to miss this boy. He'd never imagined in all his years that Harry Potter would be the one to capture his heart, and yet here they were. He shook his head, standing and moving over to blow out the candles. He glanced out the window. It had finally stopped raining. The moon was reflected in puddles all across the grounds.

Draco turned as he heard movement. Harry turned in his sleep. The blonde smiled again, returning to the bed. He climbed back in, wrapping his arm around the smaller boy. Harry mumbled Draco's name in his sleep. Draco pressed a kiss to his forehead, lying down and tightening his arm around Harry's waist.

"I love you," he whispered, kissing the back of Harry's neck before letting the sound of the other boy's breathing lull him to sleep.

* * *

**Author's Note**

Alright, I know I'm supposed to be working on the next bit of "Deluded Fairy Tale"--and I promise I still am--but this one sort of snuck up on me and I thought it had a great line, so I went with it.

Now, for those of you who enjoyed it, I will promise you at least one more chapter, but there's not much left to it so it probably won't be any longer than that.

Happy Christmas to you all!

_Cara Nicole Luvitz_


	2. Chapter 2

When Harry woke, Draco was already gone. His heart sank at this discovery. He had hoped they would get to say a proper farewell this morning. He stood and dressed, pausing as he caught sight of the parchment on the bedside table. He recognized Draco's handwriting immediately. _I will __**always**__ love you._ Harry smiled, folding up the parchment and putting it in his pocket. He sighed, leaving the room behind him as he headed for Gryffindor tower.

* * *

"Harry!"

Harry jumped at the sound of his name, coming out of his trance and turning to face Hermione. They were on the train, making the final journey between Hogsmeade and King's Cross. She smiled at him.

"Happy to be going home?" she asked, knowing he'd been excited about moving to Grimmuald Place for months. He nodded vaguely.

"Yeah, I guess," he replied, turning to look back out the window. She frowned, looking at him worriedly.

"Harry, are you alright?"

"Yeah…yeah, I'm fine."

* * *

The platform was crowded with people saying goodbye to their friends as the disembarked for their summer holiday, or, in the seventh year's case, to begin their lives in the Wizarding world. To Harry, it seemed like all he saw were couples moving on to the next step in their lives—together. And here he was—alone. Hermione put her hand on his arm, looking worriedly up at him again.

"Harry, are you sure you're alright?" she asked again. "You've been rather quiet all day."

"I'm fine, Hermione," he replied. "Just…tired." He put his head down, pushing his luggage trolley towards the barrier.

Ginny joined them once they reached the waiting Ministry car. She was as chipper and talkative as usual. Hermione did her best to keep up with her conversation; Harry wasn't even listening.

"How about you, Harry?" she asked him suddenly. He turned to look at her, the distant light of thought still in his eyes.

"What, Gin?" he asked. "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

"I asked if you were glad to be done with Hogwarts."

"Oh, yeah, I guess."

"You guess?" she laughed. "I would have thought you'd be thrilled. Dean was, I know. He kept talking about how we were going to keep seeing each other while I finish out my last year."

"Yeah, well he would be glad, wouldn't he? I mean, you lot didn't have to break up, did you?" Harry snapped. Ginny looked at him, not seeming to know what to say.

"Harry, I'm sorry," she mumbled. "I didn't even think—"

"No, you didn't." Hermione looked between her two friends. She put her hand on Harry's arm.

"How was…did you get to see him last night?" she asked hesitantly. He nodded.

"Yeah, I did."

"Well? How'd it go?"

"Brilliant, to start. I got there and he'd lit candles everywhere. And he had our song, and we danced."

"Aw, how sweet," Ginny whispered.

"Yeah, it was. And then…" Harry blushed slightly, smiling at the memory. "And then we made love. And it was…perfect."

The girls exchanged looks before smiling at him. He shook his head, the smile fading from his lips to be replaced with a look of sorrow.

"And then I woke up this morning and he was gone."

"Gone?" Ginny repeated. "Just like that? He didn't say goodbye or anything?" Harry shook his head. Ginny frowned, but Hermione nodded knowingly.

"He was probably afraid," she said. Harry looked at her questioningly. She smiled and continued. "Saying goodbye is never easy, Harry. You know that. And saying goodbye to someone you love, well…that's nearly impossible. He was probably afraid that he wouldn't be able to do it. It would have been easier just to leave."

Harry nodded. "Yeah…yeah, I guess." And then he spent the remainder of the ride to the Burrow in silence.

* * *

Molly Weasley met them in the drive as soon as the car had pulled up. Since Arthur and Ron had been killed, she was quite lonely at the house, and always glad to see the trio when they arrived home. She pulled them each into hugs, cooing over how beautiful Hermione had become, and how handsome Harry was. He forced a smile, trying to hide is dampened mood. Molly may have been fooled, but he girls weren't.

"Come in, come in, all of you! Dinner's on the table!" Molly announced, putting her arm around Ginny and ushering her into the house. Hermione looked sorrowfully up at Harry, wrapping her arms around him in a hug.

"Cheer up, Harry," she whispered. "Things will get better, I promise."

"Yeah," he mumbled, letting her lead him into the house. _'If only I could believe that, too.'_


	3. Chapter 3

Three years. Three years since they had left Hogwarts. It took three years for Voldemort to make his final move on the Wizarding world. And when he did, the Order was ready. The fight lasted nearly a full day, and it almost destroyed the Hogwarts castle and surrounding grounds. Only after the numbers were severely lessened on both sides did Voldemort make an appearance. Harry Potter was there to meet him.

Their battle was something to witness. The Dark Lord was strong, yet Harry seemed to match him mark for mark, curse for curse. There was no fooling him. But more incredible yet was the end. As the final curses were cast, something extraordinary happened. The spells combined, as if the wands were joining. Priori Incantantem—only stronger, more destructive. The connection proved deadly—for Voldemort. And as the Dark Lord lay in ruins on the battlefield, cheers when up all around. Cheers for the Chosen One, the Boy Who Lived to Save the World, cheers for Harry in all his "indestructible" glory. And as they cheered, their hero fell.

Hermione was at his side in an instant, was there to watch his eyes close. Their hero was fading.

* * *

Harry Potter woke to stare at pale white ceilings. He blinked his eyes, wondering why everything was blurred. His glasses. He looked to the sides of the bed, in search of a table. Instead, he found his glasses being handed to him by a very blurry Hermione. He took them from her, mumbling a thank you as he slid them on and looked around him. he was in a hospital, that much he knew.

"Welcome back, Savior of the World," Hermione said with a grin. "We were afraid you weren't going to make it. Everyone thought Voldemort had managed to do you in after all." Harry smiled, remembering the defeat.

"Only in his dreams," he replied. Hermione hugged him, kissing his cheek.

"I've missed your humor."

"Couldn't live without it for a few days?" The look on her face wiped the grin from his own. "What?"

"It hasn't been a few days, Harry."

"What…How long has it been, then?

"A…a year."

"A year?!" She nodded.

"You were…injured quite badly after the Dark Lord fell. The spell had a horrible effect on you, as well." She paused, taking his hand. "Harry, you were in a coma for a year. We nearly lost you." Harry stared down at the bed sheets, speechless. What was there to say, after all? A year had passed and he'd missed it all. How much had changed? "You should rest," Hermione said, brining him out of his thoughts. "Ginny and Dean will be here soon. They'll be so glad to hear you're awake."

"They're still together?" he asked happily. Hermione smiled.

"They're married now. And Ginny's….changed some since the last time you saw her."

"Changed?"

"You'll see. I'd hate to ruin her fun in telling you." With that, Hermione patted his hand, stood from her chair, and pressed a kiss to his forehead before leaving the room.

* * *

Ginny and Dean arrived an hour later, and Harry was astonished to find just how much Ginny _had_ changed. Her hair was no longer long and flowing, but chin length and choppy. But that wasn't event eh biggest change—she was pregnant.

"Look at you!" she grinned, running to Harry's bedside to hug him.

"Look at me? Look at you!" he corrected, smiling at her. "You're…you're…"

"Huge?" she supplied. He grinned.

"Yeah. How far..?"

"Six months."

"That's brilliant." He hugged her, turning to shake Dean's hand.

"Good to have you back, mate," Dean said.


	4. Chapter 4

The next few months of Harry's life were busy ones. News of his release from St. Mungo's was major news to the wizarding world. They were finally able to pay adequate tribute to their hero. Newspapers and magazines were constantly hounding him for interviews, which he rarely gave to them.

The only people fighting for Harry's attention more were the doctors he had to see nearly once a week. They insisted on monitoring his condition, saying they didn't want a relapse. It was all very hectic, and it wasn't long before Harry grew annoyed by all the extra attention. He'd never liked people to follow him so closely, and now it seemed worse than ever.

The minimal bit of free time he found was used to further his search for Draco. It had come down to mostly he and Hermione doing the work, since Ginny was busy preparing for the arrival of the baby. Harry didn't mind, really. She had her own life to lead now; he didn't expect her to devote her time to him.

They had checked the names of every Death Eater in Azkaban. Though Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy were among those imprisoned, their son was not. He was not found on any payroll in the London area, nor on any lodging lists within a hundred and fifty miles. Draco Malfoy seemed to have vanished.

"He couldn't have just disappeared," Ginny said one afternoon as the three of them shared tea around the table at Grimmuald Place. Harry ran his fingers through his hair, staring helplessly at the papers before him. "Well, if he's discovered how to disappear, I wish he'd shared the secret with me," he said. "Those reporters are driving me insane.

"Still hounding you for interviews?"

He nodded tiredly. "It's like being attacked by a mob each time I leave the house. I can't go anywhere without them following me."

"It'll all blow over soon, Harry," Hermione told him. "After a while, it will all boil down and they'll move on to juicier news."

"Merlin, I hope so."

* * *

Another month passed before any headway was made in their search. The day the owl arrived was the first spark of hope Harry had felt in the longest time. One glance at Hermione's neat handwriting was all that was needed to get his heart pounding in his throat. He turned on his heel, parchment still held tightly in his hand, and apparated straight into Hermione's kitchen.

"You've found him?!" Harry exclaimed, slightly out of breath fro his mixture of nerves and excitement. Hermione looked solemnly up at him from her seat at the table.

"I've found out what happened to him after Hogwarts, yes," she replied. Harry grinned widely and sat down across from her. Hermione straightened a few papers before her, glancing down at them before looking Harry in the eye. "He did go to join Voldemort, and records show that he was present at a few of the more private murders—but no one recalls him actually killing anyone."

"Draco isn't the killing type," Harry put in. It was comforting to know that his love hadn't joined in Voldemort's violent raids. He motioned for Hermione to continue.

"After the first year of the war, he seems to have disappeared. No one claimed to see him at massacres, and he quite obviously wasn't there the night you killed Voldemort. I've done some digging, and I believe I've found him."

"You know where he is?"

"Yes, I believe so."


	5. Chapter 5

The air was still and quiet as the car rolled to a stop on the empty road. Harry stared down at the rose in his hands as Hermione turned off the engine. They sat in silence for a few moments before the girl spoke.

"We're here," she whispered. Harry nodded, looking out the window into the bright sunlight. "Do you….do you want me to go with you?" Harry shook his head.

"No, 'Mione," he replied. "This is something I need to do on my own." She nodded, understanding, as he stepped out of the car, shutting the door behind him.

Harry picked his way through the graveyard. He stopped in nearly the middle, his throat tightening as he looked down at the small marble headstone. Draco Orion Malfoy, Beloved son. Harry set the rose on top of the headstone and kneeled on the ground before it, running his fingers along the engraved name.

"Hey, Draco," he said quietly.

Hermione watched from the car, tears filling her eyes. She had been deeply troubled when she'd learned what had happened to Draco. He'd joined Voldemort, yes, but only on his father's orders—his loyalty lied with Harry. The Dark Lord had learned of Draco's plan to deflect to the Order. Voldemort had killed him personally on July 15th, a year and a half before the war ended. He'd been laid to rest in a small cemetery in Italy, and it was here that Hermione's digging had led them.

"I'm so sorry, love," Harry whispered. "I should have been there. I should have saved you." His voice cracked as the tears started to fall. "Draco—" He broke off as the reality of the situation overcame him. Tears fell faster, and his body shook with the force of his sobs. "I love you," he whispered, and wiped his eyes before heading back to the car. Hermione pulled him into a hug, both of them crying heavily now. The composed themselves after a few moments, and Hermione started the car. Harry gave one last look at the cemetery before reaching into his pocket and pulling out an old piece of parchment.

"What's that?" Hermione asked.

"Just something to remember him by," Harry answered. He stared down at the neat handwriting and the words he'd read over so many times before—the words that had kept him going throughout the war. They brought back memories of a rainy night, a room filled with candles, and a slow dance in the darkness. Their last night together. The night they learned to say goodbye. The words were the last he received from Draco, and the ones he would remember forever. _I will __**always**__ love you._

The End.


End file.
